With Providence drilling only one appraisal well so far, potential farm-out partners may want more evidence.
“There is a discovery there, the question is what is commercially recoverable,” said David Round, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets in London. “They may still find a partner, though the terms might not be as lucrative as they originally envisaged.”
Providence’s difficulties in finding a partner may have been amplified by past exploration failures in offshore Ireland. Some 158 wells have been drilled over past 45 years in Irish waters. Only four commercial gas fields have been found.